1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to gas fired cooking apparatus and particularly to a portable, outdoor cooking apparatus in which combustion gases are drawn through a plurality of tubes arranged to create a horizontal surface. Food can be grilled on the heated tubes or the tubes can be submersed in water or oil to create a boiler or deep fryer respectively.
2. Prior Art
The use of electrically heated tubes to grill food is known in the prior art. In Nissen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,320,873 and Bardeau et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,472,156 the electrically heated tubes provide a cooking surface particularly suited for frankfurters. Burstein, U.S. Pat. No. 3,448,678 discloses the use of radiant heat from electrically heated tubes to cook. The heated tubes shown in the aforementioned patents are not designed to be immersed. Another shortcoming of electrical heating elements is that they are slower to heat up and respond to adjustments than gas fired cooking equipment.
Gas has been commonly used as a heat source for cooking. Food may be fried, boiled or fried by supporting a particular cooking vessel above a gas burner. Gas grills employ a bed of rocks or briquets positioned above a burner which radiate heat to the food suspended on a rack above. Gas broilers have also been employed with limited success. Examples of gas fired cooking equipment can be found in the following U.S. patents:
______________________________________ Cottingham 265,391 Dreyfus 2,723,617 Francia 2,898,846 Schantz 3,763,846 Amici 4,442,824 Koziol 4,478,205. ______________________________________
Despite the myriad gas fired cooking apparatus in the prior art, it is believed that a more efficient, versatile cooking device is possible.